Michigan Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
For all of the information I put out about the Michigan driver’s license restoration and clearance process, it is important for me to periodically remind the reader that I provide a guaranteed win for every case I take. The catch here is that I will only represent someone who has genuinely quit drinking and is really sober. I do not and will not budge on that point; my integrity is not for sale. Driver’s license restoration is my passion; I have gone so far as to become involved in the formal study of addiction issues at the University, post-graduate level in order to improve my understanding of the development, diagnosis and recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders. If you’re going to really work with people in recovery, then it’s important to know recovery. I know recovery from the inside out, but I also know it from the clinical side, as well. I understand the science, as well as the reality, of how people transition from drinker to non-drinker.
If you’ve really gotten sober, then you understand, at the deepest level, that just about everything in your life changes when you quit drinking for good. You adopt and become part of a “sober lifestyle.” I’ve covered this subject enough in my other articles, but the bottom line is that when you compare your sober self to the self that was drinking several (or many) years ago, it’s like night and day. I use that transition in your life in ways you cannot imagine to win my license appeal cases in front of the Michigan Secretary of State’s Driver Assessment and Appeal Division (DAAD). And I guarantee the result.
This wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t really love what I do. The simple reality is that working with people on the upswing of their lives makes my job awesome. Lawyers generally toil in the land of misery; think of the time you faced your DUI’s; was there anything to celebrate, or look forward to back then? Sure, a DUI client can be very grateful, but when you cut to the chase, all there is to be thankful for is a reduction in misery. Winning back your license, by contrast, is a cause to celebrate (without the champagne, thank you). And while I can go on and on all day about why I love being a driver’s license restoration lawyer, I do sometimes wonder: Why does any doctor ever choose to become a proctologist?
All kidding aside, as you weigh your options to get your license back, try and put my guarantee in perspective. I make my money by winning the license cases I take the first time around. If you lose your appeal, you have to wait another year to try again. I have every reason to avoid doubling my workload while cutting my income in half. In other words, I am completely invested in winning your case the first time. While I stand by my guarantee, I don’t want to have to do “warranty work.” The key to my success is in the preparation. Doing this right takes time; a lot of time. My first meeting with a new client lasts at least 3 hours, the primary purpose of which is to prepare him or her just to undergo the required substance abuse evaluation. That, as they say, is just the tip of the iceberg…
Some people wonder whether they should try to do this on their own, without a lawyer. About half of my clients are people who have tried that route. It may sound harsh, but I have no reason to try and stop anyone from going for it, because if (or more like when) it doesn’t work out, about the only thing they want to talk about when they call me is when they can get an appointment. These appeals are hard to win precisely because they are designed to be hard to win. The cold reality is that most people who develop a drinking problem never get help, and even fewer get over it. Statistically, the “cure” rate for alcohol use disorders is less than 10%. Some put it at less than 5%. This means that more than 90 out of 100 people who have lost their licenses for 2 or more DUI’s aren’t sober.
If you succeed in convincing the state that you are different than the other 90-plus percent, all that does is make you eligible. Even amongst those who are sober, the legal hurdles are high: You must prove, by what is called “clear and convincing evidence,” that your alcohol problem is “under control,” and, more important, that it is “likely to remain under control.” If you don’t understand exactly what that means, then how are you going to go about proving it, much less proving it by “clear and convincing evidence?”
I guarantee my work because I know my work. I am obsessive about details, and details win (or lose) cases. I carefully edit each and every letter of support. The thing is that a good letter will be a letter that makes sense within the context of your life. When I edit the letters, I make it a point to set aside all distractions and work on a client’s file to the exclusion of everything else. I need to have a “feel” for my client and make sure the letters convey exactly what they are supposed to.
It would be nice if I could pretend that I’m just specially gifted and have always been this good at winning license appeals, but like anything else, practice makes perfect. I can provide my guarantee because I’ve made all the mistakes there are to be made along the way. When you learn things the hard way, the lessons are never forgotten. I’ve paid my dues and refined things enough to be able to provide a guarantee in every license appeal case I take. You simply cannot do better than that.
Of course, as you weigh your options, one thing you don’t have to worry about is losing your money with me. I stand by every one of my clients, so I will continue my representation before the DAAD until my client wins his or her case. If you hire me, you WILL slide a valid license back into your wallet. There is no risk about gambling the legal fees. You pay me once, and you will get back on the road. Clearly, it is in both of our interests that you do that the first time around. This ties into a subject I recently addressed about how long a person should wait before filing a license appeal. If I took every case that came my way, I’d have more work (and more money) than I could handle. Having my guarantee also keeps me on my toes, and I won’t take a case for someone that hasn’t been sober, or off probation long enough. If I just plowed ahead with every case that comes my way, I’d spend forever doing second appeals for no money.
Instead, I take cases that can win, and I make sure they win – the first time.
And that separates me from the pack. I absolutely require honest sobriety, but in exchange, I guarantee you’ll get your license back. I’ve spent nearly a quarter century developing this practice and establishing a reputation as an honest lawyer; that’s worth more to me than the fees of a case here or there to lose my standing.
If you are sober and looking to get your license back, or, if you’ve moved out of state and need to get a clearance of a Michigan hold on your driving record as the result of multiple DUI’s, call my office. I have the nicest, most helpful staff you can find. I honestly have lawyers who call my office and get help from Ann, my senior assistant, and then thank me afterward. I hear this all the time, but there is no office that comes close to mine when you pick up the phone and call. We’ll answer your questions, explain the process and try and help you out any way we can. We will NEVER try and “hook” you. Given my guarantee, what I have is good enough to sell itself, anyway.
When you’re ready, we’re here, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am until 5:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time (a gentle reminder for those of you who have moved out west) and can be reached at 586-228-6523. The only thing you have to lose is your dependence on everyone else for rides.